Posts by Kelsie Raucher
Apples will be bigger and better this harvest season, according to Cornell University experts. Largely in part to the weather working in favor for farmers this year, apple color, quality, and size should all be superlative this fall. “2019 should be an excellent year for apple quality,” Cornell University professor Susan Brown, an apple breeder…
Read MoreWorking in agriculture poses more risks than your average job, but many precautions can — and should — be taken to reduce risk. The week of September 15 through September 21, 2019 is National Farm Health and Safety Week, which has been declared by the sitting president annually since 1944. Organized by the National…
Read MoreDelve into the hemp industry in New York State (and nationwide) with the latest episodes of Extension Out Loud, the podcast from Cornell Cooperative Extension. A versatile crop, hemp has many uses post-harvest from fiber for biocomposites (potentially a replacement for fiberglass), to extracting cannabidiol to using the protein for plant-based foods. Production has been…
Read MoreWhat do Silicon Valley and farmers have in common? Apples. Recently, hosts of Cornell Cooperative Extension’s (CCE) podcast Extension Out Loud were joined by Mario Miranda Sazo at this year’s annual Empire Farm Days to delve into digital agriculture within the apple industry. Sazo, a fruit extension specialist with CCE’s Lake Ontario Fruit Program, explained…
Read MoreNext Wednesday, September 4, marks the lastest installment of Cornell Small Farms Program’s specialty mushroom project’s free monthly webinar series. Held from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, this month’s webinar includes an overview of cultivation methods for oyster mushrooms on straw, with Steve Gabriel of the Small Farms Program. The second half of the…
Read MoreEdible Weeds from Farm to Market is a Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) funded project of CCE Columbia and Greene Counties Agroforestry Research Center. The project is researching the use and marketability of edible weeds as supplemental farm crops. A free resource guide will be developed for farmers on how (and why) to add…
Read MoreTicks have become a “significant public health issue in New York” and the population has recently spiked. A warming climate and changes in land use can increase risk to tick exposure. Ticks are vectors of many diseases for both humans and animals, and a new species of tick, “the longhorned tick,” was spotted over the summer in Westchester…
Read MoreThe Cornell Small Farms Program will be attending several conferences in early 2019. From presentations of our research to special events, you can connect with the our team and fellow farmers at the conferences listed below. New York State Vegetable Growers Association 2019 Empire State Producer’s Expo Reduced Tillage Project: Ryan Maher, Brian Caldwell, &…
Read MoreThe Cornell Small Farms Program’s 2018-2019 season of online courses is underway, and it’s time to start planning your educational opportunities for the new year! So register now to learn about woodland mushrooms, markets and profits, fruit trees, financial planning, and commercial sheep. Registration closes for block three on Sunday, January 6 at 11:59 p.m. EST.…
Read MoreThe Farm Ops project of the Cornell Small Farms Program provides expertise and community for veterans interested in agriculture across New York State. Connecting veterans with the Armed to Farm conference is often a first step in providing agricultural training and farm tours. If veterans want to make the transition into farming, the Small Farms Program…
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